Interference

Cubanate vocalist/songwriter Marc Heal made a conscious effort on Interference to improve the intelligence in their lyrics, and he pulls no punches as he talks about real-life situations he was personally involved in. And while the band gained attention and popularity with their industrial-rock earlier albums (1993's Antimatter, 1995's Cyberia, and 1996's Barbarossa), Cubanate have broadened their range a bit, taking more chances with their music, and rhythms in particular. The group can still create a massive wall of electronic sound, as heard on the huge "Isolation," or tunes that hit you directly in the gut (the album opener "IT"). The last song recorded for Interference, "IT" became a frustrated rant when Heal couldn't come up with conventional lyrics, all recorded off the top of his head, in one take. And another track, "Voids," was written about the group's last American tour, when Heal began feeling paranoid after combining endless hotel room nights with alcohol. The group has also tried their hand at writing music for video games, the album track "Airport Bar" will appear on the home vid Wing Commander 5 — Prophecy.